Bamboo Dreams
Sow seeds. Water and fertilize daily for 7 years.
During those 7 years, you’ll have nothing to show for it. Nothing. Not even a sapling or a bud.
But after 7 years, something magical happens.
A tree shoots out of the ground. Literally. After doing nothing for 7 years, it grows 90-feet in 6 weeks (!!).
This is the story of the bamboo tree.
There are some obvious lessons here.
Persistent effort is important.
Patience is a virtue.
The world, nature is nonlinear, i.e. outcomes/growth/results don’t usually follow a straight line.
Nothing you probably haven’t heard before.
#3 is exactly why #1 and #2 can pay off big in the long run.
#1 and #2 are really hard. Very difficult to pull off. Especially when the rewards aren’t immediate. Even more so when the outcome isn’t certain.
The longer the wait, the greater the uncertainty, the harder #1 and #2 get (this relationship is also nonlinear).
This is why Dreams can be so hard to realize.
They’re Dreams. Usually a little (or lot) out of reach. Highly uncertain. No timetable. Even with persistent effort, you may have to wait a long time. Or forever.
So most don’t try. I’ve let go many a Dream this way.
Or people start, but quickly give up because it’s hard (#1 and #2 are really hard). I’ve done this too.
Very few people Dream. Fewer start. Even fewer finish.
What’s the secret to start? To keep going? To fulfill your Dreams?
Superhuman willpower? Discipline? Focus? Courage? Concentration? Luck?
These help.
But even more important - the Dream must choose you.
It chooses you because you are uniquely qualified to bring it to fruition in your unique way. Because the world needs this, no matter how big or small the impact.
Dreams that choose you are hard to let go of. You constantly come back to them. They haunt you. They live in your heart. Your mind may reject them, convince you they’re foolish or illogical. But your heart won’t let go.
That’s how you know. This is destiny calling.
You can kick and scream all you want.
But if it’s meant to come to fruition through you, you will sow the seeds when the time is right. You will be persistent. You will be patient.
And one day, something magical will happen. You will have your giant tree - your success.
Have a wonderful weekend,
-Amit